Page 3 - GSPS_Driving Tour Book

Wirobo Hall (Ceva Home) 5513 Highway 215
Henry P. Boggs, Sr. purchased this parcel of land known as Masonic Lodge Lot from Sara J. Lee on March 23,
1912. Mr. Boggs, owner and headmaster, opened Wirobo Hall, a private school, for boys. With family living
1 quarters downstairs, boarding students occupied rooms upstairs. Day students also attended. The house was in ill
repair when W.W. Thompson, Sr. and A.W. Seris bought it in the early 1930s. Renovations were done while the 17
families were in residence. Later, ownership went solely to the Thompson family who lived there for over 60 years.
Current owners are Frank and Virginia Ceva. Of interest is the roof overhang. The exaggerated depth of the eaves
suggests a Frank Lloyd Wright influence.
Smith Home 5771 Highway 215
Built in 1852, and later purchased by Dr. W.F. Smith, the original house was one story. Later, the raised main story
2 became the second story, with the first floor constructed beneath it. In the late 1800s, under the Victorian influence,
bay windows were added to the front. A balcony style porch over the double front doors was removed. A single
window now replaces the upstairs door. The house is still in the Smith family.
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John D. Fowler House (West Home) 5865 Highway 215
John D. Fowler built this Victorian house in the early 1900s. In 1928 G.C. Wyatt bought this property from W.E.
3 Fowler, owner at that time. A mortgage note for $101.47 signed by Wyatt, stated that if payment was not made by
November 15, 1928, one black Jersey cow named Bess and all crops grown on the land would be given as collateral.
In 1967, Carey and Ann West purchased the home and did a complete restoration with as many of the original
structural materials as possible.
Thadeus Burroughs House (Garrett Home) 5870 Highway 215
Thadeus Burroughs built this Victorian style house circa 1907. Later, W. Dogan Allen bought the house and
operated a general store on the property. In 1986 Steven and Katherine Garrett purchased the house from owner 19
4 Sandra Cox. The entrance features a staircase with hand carved rails and bannisters. A decorative arch accents the
hallway. Ceilings of beadboard are throughout the house. When the Allen Store was to be demolished by
Spartanburg County as an eyesore, the Glenn Springs Preservation Society, with permission from the Garretts,
dismantled and stored all useable parts of the store, to be reconstructed in Glenn Springs.
R.E.L Smith House (Browning Home) 5879 Highway 215
Local postmaster Robert E. Lee Smith and wife Nora Fowler had this house of Victorian architecture built in 1906
on property purchased from the J.W. Bobo estate. Donald and Mary Peake Browning bought the house in 1965.
5 Mary's grandfather Joseph F. West was the original builder. The house has six fireplaces. Some mantels are walnut,
others oak. Teachers at the Glenn Springs Grammar School often rented upstairs rooms. In 1992 when the
originally mild tempered resident ghost "Willie" became unruly, knocking over floor lamps, turning on radios and
making a nuisance of himself, he was asked to leave and has not returned.
W.D. Fowler House (Miller Home) 5885 Highway 215
W. D. Fowler built this Victorian house around 1903, with his daughter Ninon Fowler Shull and family later living
in the house. A shingled cupola and widow's walk are exterior features. Inside, the original stained woodwork
6 accentuates two large pocket doors, opposite one another, closing off the dining and living rooms from the hallway.
Three of the seven fireplaces are faced with their original colored tiles. A downstairs bedroom has beaded board
ceiling because Mrs. Fowler did not want to sleep under a plaster ceiling. The widower of Shull's
great-granddaughter lives in this home.
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Built in 1861 by Charles Zimmerman, son of John C. Zimmerman, the large two
story frame house has elements of Queen Ann design. The Glenn Springs
Presbyterian Church purchased the house to use as a manse and Rev. and Mrs. Rufus
M. Phillips purchased the house from the church in the 1940s for $6,000. The Phillips
had two apartments to rent so this became the first home for many Glenn Springs
newlyweds. In 1966 James and Joretta Gilbert purchased the property and in
reworking the ceilings were surprised to find the original plaster contained pig hair.
The spiral staircase is a special feature of this house. This property is on the National
Charles Zimmerman House
(Gilbert Home) Register of Historic Places.
3705 Glenn Springs Rd.
The Old Jail House was originally located near rock wall behind house at 3711 Glenn
Springs Highway. This house was once a stage coach stop. The jail could hold two
people, and was later used for storage. Mr. Grover Cleveland Wyatt was one of the
jailors. This single room building of squared logs and halved joints is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Old Jail House on right side of the
Gilbert House property
Constructed 1835 by the Glenn Springs Company, known for elegance, opulence,
gentility, and delicious cuisine, the more than 500 guest capacity hotel operated until
1939. The grand hotel became known as the unofficial capital of South Carolina
because of the judges, US senators, representatives and state officials who spent
summers with their families in Glenn Springs. Nouveau riche joined old money in the
quest to see and be seen. With more than 58,000 square feet of floor space and 580
linear feet of piazzas, polished curly pine covered the hallways. Entertainment was
provided with nightly dancing to the orchestra in the ballroom, tennis court, tin pan
alley, billiard and card tables, bathing pool, shooting gallery, chess, croquet, and
Site of Glenn Springs Hotel visits to nearby gold mines and Revolutionary War sites. Guests made frequent walks
to the spring and were encouraged to drink 15-30 glasses of water daily. The hotel
fell into disrepair after the Great Depression and burned on July 25, 1941.